Motor assembly for an architectural covering

ABSTRACT

An architectural covering including a motor assembly is provided. The covering may include a head rail, an end cap enclosing an end of the head rail, a roller tube rotatably supported within the head rail at least partially by the end cap, and a motor assembly including a housing in splined engagement with the end cap to non-rotatably secure the motor assembly to the end cap. The motor assembly may be received at least partially within the roller tube and may be in driving engagement with the roller tube. A covering material may be attached to the roller tube such that rotation of the roller tube extends or retracts the covering material.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC § 119(e) ofthe earlier filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/297,764 filed 19 Feb. 2016 and entitled “Motor Assembly for anArchitectural Covering,” which is hereby incorporated herein in itsentirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to architectural coverings, andmore particularly to a motor assembly for an architectural covering.

BACKGROUND

Architectural coverings, such as coverings for architectural structuresor features, including walls and openings, such as windows, doorways,archways, or other architectural structure/feature, have taken numerousforms for many years. Many coverings include a motor assembly for movinga retractable shade (such as a sheet of material) between an extendedposition and a retracted position. The motor assembly typically isattached at one end to a stationary structure (such as an end cap) andincludes a drive structure at an opposite end for rotating a rollertube. During use, the motor assembly typically generates a torque aboutits longitudinal axis for rotating the roller tube and moving theretractable shade between the extended and retracted positions. If theconnection of the motor assembly to the stationary structure is notsufficient to withstand the torque load, then the motor assembly maydetach from the stationary structure during use, which may disconnectthe motor assembly from its power source, damage electrical componentsassociated with the motor assembly, and/or cause other damage to thecovering. If the connection of the drive structure to a drive shaft ofthe motor assembly is not sufficient to withstand the torque load, thenthe drive structure may slip relative to the drive shaft, reducing theaccuracy and/or efficiency of the motor assembly.

The motor assembly generally includes electrical components foroperation of the motor assembly. During use, the covering may cause thegeneration of static electricity. For example, during extension and/orretraction of the retractable shade into and out of a head rail, staticelectricity may be generated. Static electricity also may be transmittedto the covering through a user's fingers after the user walks across thefloor and touches the covering, such as to actuate a switch for themotor assembly. The static electricity may be harmful to the electricalcomponents of the motor assembly if the static electricity dischargesthrough sensitive electrical components (such as a printed circuitboard).

The motor assembly typically is positioned at one end of a head rail ofthe covering. Generally, some components of the motor assembly (such asthe electrical components) are positioned external to the roller tubedue to size constraints within the roller tube. Some motor assembliesposition these components along an inner surface of the stationarystructure, thereby limiting the width dimension of the retractable shadeand resulting in a light gap along the edges of the covering.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is at least partially directed to a motorassembly that alleviates at least to a certain extent one or more of theaforementioned problems, addresses at least to a certain extentdifficulties of prior motor assemblies, and/or generally provides a userwith different motor assembly options.

The present disclosure generally provides a motor assembly used to raiseand lower a covering for an architectural structure/feature, such as aroller-type covering for a window opening. The motor assembly may becoupled, such as attached, to a stationary structure of the covering,such as an end cap, in a manner that resists torsion loads so that themotor assembly remains coupled (e.g., attached) to the stationarystructure during operation of the motor assembly. The motor assembly maysecurely connect a drive structure to a drive shaft of the motorassembly for improved accuracy and/or efficiency of the motor assembly.The motor assembly may be configured to insulate electrical componentsof the motor assembly from potential electrostatic discharge to reducethe likelihood of damage to the electrical components. The motorassembly may be fully-contained in a compact arrangement to permit theuse of wider shades within an architectural structure/feature, therebyreducing light leakage around the edges of a deployed shade relative toexisting motor-driven coverings.

The present disclosure is given to aid understanding, and one of skillin the art will understand that each of the various aspects and featuresof the disclosure may advantageously be used separately in someinstances, or in combination with other aspects and features of thedisclosure in other instances. Accordingly, while the disclosure ispresented in terms of examples, it should be appreciated that individualaspects of any example can be claimed separately or in combination withaspects and features of that example or any other example.

The present disclosure is set forth in various levels of detail in thisapplication and no limitation as to the scope of the claimed subjectmatter is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements,components, or the like in this summary. In certain instances, detailsthat are not necessary for an understanding of the disclosure or thatrender other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. Itshould be understood that the claimed subject matter is not necessarilylimited to the particular examples or arrangements illustrated herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate examples of the disclosure and,together with the general description given above and the detaileddescription given below, serve to explain the principles of theseexamples.

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded, fragmentary, isometric view of anarchitectural covering including a motor assembly in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded, fragmentary, isometric view of the motorassembly, an end cap, and an insert of FIG. 1 in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is another partially exploded, fragmentary, isometric view of themotor assembly, end cap, and insert of FIG. 1 and viewed from adifferent angle compared to FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded, fragmentary, isometric view of the motorassembly of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a splined engagement of amotor housing and an end cap of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a lengthwise cross-sectional view of a latched engagement of amotor housing and an end cap of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a partially exploded, fragmentary, isometric view of a motorhousing and an insert of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, isometric view of the motor housing and theinsert of FIG. 7 nested together in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a lengthwise cross-sectional view of the motor housing and theinsert of FIG. 7 engaged with an end cap of FIG. 1 in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the motor housing andthe insert of FIG. 7 taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9 in accordance withan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a lengthwise cross-sectional view of the motor assembly, anend cap, and an insert of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the motor assembly ofFIG. 1 taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary end view of an outer surface of an end cap ofFIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is an isometric view of a drive structure of the motor assemblyof FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the drive structure of FIG. 15 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a lengthwise cross-section view of the drive structure ofFIG. 15 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is an isometric view of the covering of FIG. 1 in an extendedposition in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to the present disclosure, a motor assembly for anarchitectural covering is provided. The covering may include a motorassembly configured to be coupled to an end cap. For example, the motorassembly may include a housing configured to engage the end cap in anon-rotatable manner. For example, the housing may include a splined endarranged to engage a corresponding splined boss of the end cap. In oneembodiment, the motor assembly may be received at least partially withina roller tube and in driving engagement with the roller tube. In someembodiments, the housing may define an internal cavity, such as viafirst and second shells coupled together, in which a motor and a printedcircuit board are received. The motor assembly may include a drive shaftand a drive structure for rotating the roller tube. In one embodiment,the drive structure may be removably coupled (e.g., selectively clamped)to the drive shaft, such as via relative axial movement between thedrive structure and the drive shaft.

According to various aspects of the present disclosure, the featuresengaging the housing to the end cap may be the same, or substantiallythe same, across many products. For example, the housing may begenerally universal such that different drive structures may be mountedfor coupling with the drive shaft of the motor assembly. Additionally oralternatively, different bushings may be coupled to the housing, such asmounted over or around the housing, to accommodate different rollertubes. In one embodiment, the housing may engage different end capsregardless of the other features of the end caps (e.g., shapes,dimensions, etc.). For example, the various end caps may include a bossconfigured to receive the splined end of the housing regardless of theother features of the end caps.

The present disclosure illustrates an example of a covering 100 for anarchitectural structure/feature which includes a motor assembly 102. Themotor assembly 102 may include a motor case or housing 107 (hereinafter“housing” for the sake of convenience without intent to limit) encasingor housing a motor 152 (see, e.g., FIG. 4) which is arranged to controloperation of a covering material or element 302 (hereinafter “coveringmaterial” for the sake of convenience without intent to limit) (see,e.g., FIG. 17). For example, as described more fully below, selectiveoperation of the motor 152 may move the covering material 302 between anextended position in which the covering material 302 at least partiallycovers an architectural structure or feature, and a retracted positionin which the covering material 302 is at least partially retractedacross the architectural structure/feature. The motor assembly 102 maybe coupled, such as attached, to an end cap or plate 104 (hereinafter“end cap” for the sake of convenience without intent to limit) of thecovering 100 in a manner that resists torsion loads so that the motorassembly 102 remains engaged to the end cap 104 during operation of themotor assembly 102, such as during operation of the motor 152. In someembodiments, the motor assembly 102 may include a drive structure 106arranged to transmit movement of the motor 152, such as rotationalmovement of the motor's output, to the covering material 302 to extendand/or retract the covering material 302. For example, the drivestructure 106 may be securely coupled to a drive shaft 202 of the motor152 for improved accuracy and/or efficiency of the motor assembly 102,as described below. The motor housing 107 may be configured to insulateelectrical components of the motor assembly 102 from potentialelectrostatic discharge to reduce the likelihood of damage to theelectrical components. The motor assembly 102 may be fully-contained ina compact arrangement to permit the use of wider covering materials 302within an architectural structure/feature, thereby reducing lightleakage around the edges of the deployed covering material 302 relativeto existing motor-driven coverings. The compact arrangement may beachieved by repackaging and attaching parts in a manner that eliminatessome parts and reduces costs, resulting in design efficiency. Forexample, in previous motor assemblies, every part generally serves asingle function. In the motor assembly 102, some parts may servemultiple functions (e.g., three or four functions), thereby improvingthe design efficiency of the motor assembly 102.

The motor housing 107 may be modular and may be designed for universaluse with a broad range of coverings. Generally there are three partsthat may be specific to a particular covering: an end cap, which mayhave a configuration corresponding to a particular shape of apredetermined head rail for a predetermined product; a bushing, whichrotatably supports a roller tube and which may have a configurationspecific to a preselected roller tube being used for a preselectedcovering; and a drive member, which links the roller tube to the motorhousing and which may have a configuration specific to the predeterminedroller tube being used for the predetermined covering. Differentcoverings may include roller tubes of different sizes and shapes. Forexample, and without limitation, a larger roller tube may be needed fora larger sized or heavier covering, or vice-versa. In some embodiments,the size of the roller tube may be selected based on the structure ofthe covering material 302. To accommodate different sizes of rollertubes, the drive structure 106 and a bushing 180 (see FIGS. 1 and 11,for example) selected for use with the housing 107 may be changed tointerface with the specific roller tube being used for the covering, butthe housing 107 may remain the same (e.g., the same for any of a varietyof different coverings, including different roller tubes, drivestructures, and/or bushings). The housing 107 may be designed to engagewith any of these product-specific parts and may remain the same for usewith a broad range of coverings. The mounting features between the motorhousing 107 and the end cap 104 may be the same, or substantially thesame, across many products. In some embodiments, the motor housing 107may be generally universal in that not only different drive structuresmay be mounted for coupling with a motor drive shaft, but also differentbushings for roller or rotator tubes (hereinafter “roller tube” for thesake of convenience without intent to limit) may be mounted over oraround the motor housing 107, and a splined end of the motor housing 107may fit in different end caps having a boss configured to receive thesplined end regardless of other features of the end caps (e.g., shapes,dimensions, etc.).

As shown in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1, a first end 107A ofthe housing 107 may be coupled with the end cap 104, and a second end107B of the housing 107 may be spaced a distance from the end cap 104.The motor assembly 102 may be axially aligned with a roller tube 108 (itwill be appreciated that only a portion of the roller tube 108 is shownin FIG. 1 for illustrative purposes without intent to limit), and thedrive structure 106 may be operatively associated with the motor 152 forrotating the roller tube 108. In this manner, the drive structure 106may rotate the roller tube 108 to extend or to retract a shade (such asthe covering material 302) suspended from the roller tube 108 dependingon the rotation direction of the drive structure 106. In someembodiments, the drive structure 106 may be positioned adjacent thesecond end 107B of the housing 107, though other configurations arecontemplated, including being positioned adjacent the first end 107A ofthe housing 107. The end cap 104 may enclose an open end of a head rail110, which may substantially hide the roller tube 108 from view whenmounted in an architectural structure/feature.

In one embodiment, the housing 102 may be configured for engagement withthe end cap 104 to non-rotatably secure the motor assembly 102 to theend cap 104. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the housing 107 may beconfigured for splined engagement with the end cap 104 to non-rotatablysecure the motor assembly 102 to the end cap 104. The first end 107A ofthe housing 107 may include a first spline feature 112 extendinglengthwise along a length of the motor assembly 102, and a boss 114 ofthe end cap 104 may include a second spline feature 118 extendinglengthwise along a length of the boss 114. The first spline feature 112and the second spline feature 118 may be configured to engage each othersuch that the first end 107A of the housing 107 is substantiallynon-rotatable relative to the end cap 104. In the illustrativeembodiment of FIG. 2, the first spline feature 112 may include two ormore external ribs or splines 120 (hereinafter “splines” for the sake ofconvenience without intent to limit) arranged around a periphery of thefirst end 107A of the housing 107, and the second spline feature 118 mayinclude two or more internal grooves 122 formed in an inner surface 123of the boss 114. The external splines 120 and the internal grooves 122may correspond in cross-sectional size and shape to provide asubstantially non-rotatable engagement between the housing 107 and theend cap 104. In other embodiments, the first spline feature 112 mayinclude two or more internal grooves formed in an external surface ofthe first end 107A of the housing 107, and the second spline feature 118may include two or more internal splines arranged around the innersurface 123 of the boss 114.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the first end 107A of the housing 107 and theboss 114 may be axially aligned with each other. To engage the firstspline feature 112 and the second spline feature 118, the first end 107Aof the housing 107 may be inserted into the boss 114 such that the firstspline feature 112 slidably engages the second spline feature 118. Onceengaged with each other, the first spline feature 112 and the secondspline feature 118 may inhibit the motor assembly 102 from rotatingrelative to the end cap 104.

In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 5, the first end 107A of thehousing 107 is in splined engagement with the boss 114 of the end cap104. The external splines 120 may be received in the internal grooves122 to resist rotation of the motor assembly 102 relative to the end cap104. One or more splines of the external splines 120 may include torquecombative features to further resist rotation of the motor assembly 102relative to the end cap 104. For example, some of the external splines120 may be formed asymmetrically to resist more torque in one rotationaldirection relative to an opposite rotational direction. For instance, inthe illustrative embodiment of FIG. 5, the external splines 120 includesplines 120A with asymmetrical cross-sections designed to withstand moretorque transferred from the motor assembly 102 to the boss 114 in afirst direction 124 (counterclockwise in FIG. 5) than a second direction126 (clockwise in FIG. 5), and the external splines 120 include splines120B with asymmetrical cross-sections designed to withstand more torquetransferred from the motor assembly 102 to the boss 114 in the seconddirection 126 than the first direction 124. The external splines 120 mayinclude one or more splines 120C with symmetrical cross-sectionsdesigned to withstand substantially the same amount of torque in thefirst direction 124 and the second directions 126.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, one or more external splines 120 andone or more internal grooves 122 may be sized and shaped to interlocktogether to limit movement of the housing 107 relative to the boss 114.For example, and without limitation, one or more external splines 120and one or more internal grooves 122 may form a securement feature toensure the splines 120 and the grooves 122 remain in engagement duringoperation of the motor assembly 102, such as limiting axial and/orrotational movement of the housing 107 relative to the boss 114. In theillustrative embodiment of FIG. 5, one or more splines 120D of theexternal splines 120 may include a dovetail feature 128 such that theone or more splines 120D and one or more grooves 122A of the internalgrooves 122 may form a dovetail joint to maintain engagement of thesplines 120D with the grooves 122A. The dovetail feature 128 maysubstantially prevent the first end 107A of the motor assembly 102 fromcollapsing and disengaging from the boss 114 of the end cap 104 duringoperation of the motor assembly 102.

The motor assembly 102 may be attached to the end cap 104 of thecovering 100 without the use of additional fasteners, such as screws. Insome embodiments, the motor assembly 102 may be snapped to the end cap104, such as via portions of the housing 107 (e.g., arm portions) beingcoupled to the end cap 104 via a snap connection, as explained below. Insome embodiments, the snapped engagement may withstand loads underhigher torque than previous motor assemblies and may have a compactpackage. The first end 107A of the housing 107 may snap into the boss114 of the end cap 104 to secure the motor assembly 102 axially to theend cap 104. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first end 107A of thehousing 107 may include two or more resilient arms 130 for axiallysecuring the motor assembly 102 to the end cap 104. The resilient arms130 may extend longitudinally from the first end 107A of the housing 107towards the end cap 104 and may snap into the end cap 104. The resilientarms 130 may substantially prevent the housing 107 from collapsing andmay splay outwardly to lock the housing 107 tighter into the end cap 104under high torque. In other words, rotation of the motor housing 107relative to the end cap 104 may cause the resilient arms 130 to flexoutwardly, and the boss 114 of the end cap 104 may surround theresilient arms 130 and restrain the resilient arms 130, therebymaintaining the resilient arms 130 in engagement with the boss 114 andsubstantially preventing the motor assembly 102 from rotating relativeto the end cap 104. Each resilient arm 130 may include a free, barbedend 130A for engaging the boss 114. During attachment of the motorassembly 102 to the end cap 104, the resilient arms 130 may slide alongthe inner surface 123 of the boss 114 until the barbed ends 130A of theresilient arms 130 snap into engagement with an internal wall 132 (seeFIG. 6) of the end cap 104.

Referring to FIG. 6, the internal wall 132 may be formed as an internalledge, rim, shoulder, or other internal structure of the end cap 104.Once engaged with the internal wall 132, the barbed ends 130A of theresilient arms 130 may substantially prevent the motor assembly 102 frombeing axially disconnected from the end cap 104. To provide a guide foran installer to ensure the barbed ends 130A of the resilient arms 130are fully engaged with the internal wall 132 of the end cap 104, thefirst end 107A of the housing 107 may include an annular flange 134located near a base 130B of the resilient arms 130. The annular flange134 may abut against a distal surface 114A of the boss 114 substantiallyat the same time the barbed ends 130A of the resilient arms 130 engagethe internal wall 132 to provide an indication to an installer that themotor assembly 102 is axially secured to, such as fully engaged with,the end cap 104. In the illustrative embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, one ormore of the external splines 120 may extend longitudinally along alength of one or more of the resilient arms 130 to resist rotation ofthe resilient arms 130 relative to the boss 114.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the covering may include an insert 140positioned on an opposite side of the end cap 104 relative to the motorassembly 102. The insert 140 may retain the motor 152 in engagement withthe end cap 104 under axial impact load, such as during shipping. Theinsert 140 may provide wire management between components of the motorassembly 102, such as between electronics and a motor. The insert 140may provide support for a printed circuit board. The insert 140 may beinstalled in two different orientations (e.g., orientations that are 180degrees apart from each other).

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 7-9, the insert 140 may include two or moreresilient arms 142 for axially securing the insert 140 to the end cap104. Each resilient arm 142 may include a free, barbed end 142A forengaging the end cap 104. The resilient arms 142 may extendlongitudinally from a base 143 of the insert 140 towards the motorassembly 102. During attachment of the motor assembly 102 to the end cap104, the resilient arms 142 may slide along the inner surface 123 of theboss 114 until the barbed ends 142A of the resilient arms 142 snap intoengagement with an internal wall, such as the internal wall 132 (seeFIG. 9) of the end cap 104. Once engaged with the internal wall 132, thebarbed ends 142A of the resilient arms 142 may substantially prevent theinsert 140 from being axially disconnected from the end cap 104.

With reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 7, and 8, the motor assembly 102 and theinsert 140 may be axially aligned with each other. The resilient arms130 of the housing 107 and the resilient arms 142 of the insert 140 mayextend in opposite directions and may be angularly positioned relativeto each other such that the resilient arms 130 interdigitate with theresilient arms 142 when the motor assembly 102 and the insert 140 areattached to the end cap 104 (see FIG. 9). Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9,the barbed ends 130A of the housing 107 and the barbed ends 142A of theinsert 140 may extend past one another when inserted into boss 114 suchthat the internal wall 132 is received between the respective barbedends 130A, 142A when the motor assembly 102 and the insert 140 aresnapped into engagement with the end cap 104.

Referring to FIG. 10, the insert 140 may lock the resilient arms 130 ofthe housing 107 in engagement with the end cap 104 to substantiallyprevent the resilient arms 130 from collapsing and disconnecting fromthe end cap 104 during operation of the motor assembly 102. In theillustrative embodiment of FIG. 10, the resilient arms 142 of the insert140 may engage the resilient arms 130 of the housing 107 to maintain thebarbed ends 130A of the resilient arms 130 in engagement with theinternal wall 132 (see FIG. 9) of the boss 114. The resilient arms 142of the insert 140 may bias the resilient arms 130 radially outwardly tomaintain the engagement with the internal wall 132. To align and biasthe resilient arms 130, each resilient arm 142 may include angled sidewalls 142B that taper outwardly in a direction inwardly from the boss114 to form a wedge-like space between the angled side walls 142B andthe inner surface 123 of the boss 114. The side walls 142B may extendalong the length of the resilient arms 142 (see FIG. 7) and may engagecorresponding surfaces of the resilient arms 130. In the illustrativeembodiment of FIG. 10, each resilient arm 130 may include angled sidewalls 130C that taper toward each other as the side walls 130C extendinwardly away from the boss 114. The side walls 130C may extend alongthe length of the resilient arms 130 (see FIG. 7). The angled side walls130C, 142B may facilitate alignment of the resilient arms 142 of theinsert 140 between the resilient arms 130 of the motor assembly 102and/or may facilitate the outward biasing of the resilient arms 130 ofthe housing 107 by the resilient arms 142 of the insert 140, such as byallowing the resilient arms 142 of the insert 140 to be wedged inwardlyof the resilient arms 130 of the housing 107 to push the resilient arms130 of the housing 107 into engagement with the inner surface 123 of theboss 114 to hold the motor assembly 102 in place relative to the boss114. The resilient arms 142 of the insert 140 may apply pressure to theresilient arms 130 of the housing 107 to hold the motor assembly 102 inplace during impact, such as axial impact. The resilient arms 142 mayhave a curved shape with a chamfer, such as the angled side walls 142B,that pushes the resilient arms 130 outwardly to lock the motor housing107 to the end cap 104.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 7, the resilient arms 142 of the insert 140may be separated from one another by stop portions 144 of the insert140. The stop portions 144 may define a shoulder 145 at a leading edgeof the stop portions 144 for abutting against the internal wall 132 ofthe boss 114 (see FIG. 9) substantially at the same time the resilientarms 142 of the insert 140 engage the internal wall 132 of the boss 114to axially secure the insert 140 to the end cap 104. A cove 146 may beformed between adjacent stop portions 144 and resilient arms 142, andthe coves 146 may be sized and shaped to receive the barbed ends 130A ofthe resilient arms 130. The angled side walls 142B may continue aroundthe coves 146 and engage inner surfaces of the barbed ends 130A tofurther lock the barbed ends 130A in engagement with the internal wall132 of the boss 114 (see FIG. 9). Referring to FIG. 11, the angled sidewalls 130C of the resilient arms 130 may continue around the barbed ends130A to facilitate the engagement of the barbed ends 130A with theangled side walls 142B in the coves 146. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 10,the stop portions 144 may define receiving grooves 144A, 144B extendinglongitudinally along the length of the insert 140 for supporting one ormore components of the motor assembly 102.

To couple the motor assembly 102 with the end cap 104, in oneembodiment, illustrated in FIG. 2, the first spline feature 112 of thehousing 107 may be aligned with the second spline feature 118 of theboss 114, and then the first end 107A of the housing 107 may be insertedinto the internal bore 164 of the boss 114 to engage the first andsecond spline features 112, 118 such that the motor assembly 102 issubstantially non-rotatable relative to the end cap 104. Referring toFIG. 6, the first end 107A of the housing 107 may continue to beinserted into the internal bore 164 of the boss 114 to engage the barbedends 130A of the resilient arms 130 with the internal wall 132 of theboss 114 and abut the annular flange 134 of the housing 107 against thedistal surface 114A of the boss 114, thereby axially securing the motorassembly 102 to the end cap 104. The insert 140 may be inserted into theinternal bore 164 from an opposite side of the end cap 104 relative tothe motor assembly 102 to engage the resilient arms 142 of the insert140 with the resilient arms 130 of the motor assembly 102 to furtherlock the motor assembly 102 to the end cap 104. The resilient arms 142of the insert 140 may engage the internal wall 132 to secure the insert140 to the end cap 104.

Referring to FIG. 4, the motor assembly 102 may include a motor 152received in the housing 107. The motor 152 may be non-rotatably andnon-slidably received in the housing 107. For example, the housing 107may include ribs 149 projecting inwardly from an inner surface 151 ofthe housing 107. The ribs 149 may function as a torque control featurefor the motor 152 and may engage corresponding features on the motor 152or motor mounts associated therewith for transferring torque from themotor 152 to the housing 107. A recess 155 formed in the inner surface151 of the housing 107 may receive a portion of the motor 152 or a motormount associated therewith for locating the motor 152 axially within thehousing 107.

Referring still to FIG. 4, the housing 107 may include a first shell107C and a second shell 107D that may be attached together tosubstantially encapsulate the motor 152. In the illustrative embodimentof FIG. 4, the first shell 107C is separated from the second shell 107Dto show the internal components of the motor assembly 102 seated in thesecond shell 107D. The first and second shells 107C, 107D may beidentical to each other, and thus the second shell 107D may include thesame internal features as the first shell 107C illustrated in FIG. 4. Inthese embodiments, only one mold may be needed to form the housing 107,and assembly of the housing 107 may be easier because the assembler mayreach for two of the same housing shell, rather than searching for twodifferent housing shells. The first and second shells 107C, 107D may bereferred to as components or pieces herein without intent to limit. Whenassembled together, the two shells 107C, 107D may define an internalcavity 154 and may form an interface 153 between the shells 107C, 107D.The motor assembly 102 may include a gear unit 156 that alters a torqueoutput of the motor 152; an encoder 157 that counts the number ofrotations of a shaft of the motor 152, such as via a magnetic encoder,so one or more components of the printed circuit board 162 may track aposition of a shade for shade position control; one or more dampers ormotor mounts 158, 160 that dampen motor vibrations; and a printedcircuit board 162 for controlling operation of the motor 152, all ofwhich may be received within the internal cavity 154. Depending on theparticular application, the drive structure 106 and the encoder 157 maybe positioned adjacent opposite ends of the motor 152, which may providea compact arrangement of the motor assembly 102. The encoder 157 mayinclude a spinning magnet wheel mounted on a shaft of the motor 152, andwires may be routed within the housing 107 around the wheel to protectthe wires from touching the spinning wheel. The motor mounts 158, 160may receive the ribs 149 for transferring torque from the motor 152 tothe housing 107, and one of the motor mounts 160 may be seated in therecess 155 for locating the motor 152 axially within the housing 107.

Static electricity discharge through the printed circuit board 162 maybe mitigated or reduced at least in part because of the printed circuitboard 162 being substantially enclosed inside the motor assembly 102and/or the end cap 104 to electrically and physically isolate theprinted circuit board 162 from static energy generated from operation ofthe covering 100 or from a user interacting with the covering 100.Referring to FIGS. 4, 11, and 12, the housing 107 may protect theprinted circuit board 162 from electrostatic discharge by substantiallyencapsulating the printed circuit board 162 within the internal cavity154. Static energy may be generated during operation of the covering 100or from users contacting the covering 100. The static energy may betransferred to the roller tube 108 in which the motor assembly 102 maybe at least partially received (see FIG. 11). To protect the printedcircuit board 162 from electrostatic discharge from the roller tube 108or other components of the covering 100, the printed circuit board 162may be substantially entirely received within the housing 107 and theboss 114. For example, the printed circuit board 162 may be surroundedalong substantially its entire length by the housing 107 and the boss114 (see FIG. 11). In some embodiments, electrostatic discharge throughthe printed circuit board 162 may be mitigated in other manners, whichmay or may not be combined with enclosing the printed circuit board 162inside the motor assembly 102 and/or the end cap 104, discussed above.For example, in one non-limiting example, the printed circuit board 162may include transient voltage suppression (TVS) diodes for protecting atleast outside traces and ground planes.

Referring to FIG. 11, the printed circuit board 162 may extend withinthe first end 107A of the housing 107. The first end 107A of the housing107 may be open and in communication with an internal bore 164 of theend cap 104 that opens through an outer face 104B of the end cap 104,thereby providing access for electrical wiring, such as an antenna wireand power cabling, to connect to the printed circuit board 162 and berouted out of the housing 107. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the boss 114of the end cap 104 may at least partially define the internal bore 164and may at least partially surround the first end 107A of the housing107, thereby further insulating the printed circuit board 162 fromelectrostatic discharge of the roller tube 108 near the first end 107Aof the housing 107. The outer face 104B of the end cap 104 may bemounted to a structure at least partially defining the architecturalfeature, such as substantially flush with the structure, therebysubstantially enclosing the internal bore 164 and the printed circuitboard 162. The housing 107 and the end cap 104 may be formed of aninsulating material to isolate the printed circuit board 162 from staticelectricity discharge from the roller tube 108 or other components ofthe covering 100.

Referring to FIG. 4, the printed circuit board 162 may be substantiallyaxially aligned with the motor 152. The printed circuit board 162 may besecured within the housing 107 by friction without the use of fastenerscontacting or extending through the printed circuit board 162, or holesbeing formed in the housing 107, to reduce the likelihood of staticelectricity passing through a fastener to the printed circuit board 162.As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 12, the printed circuit board 162 may besupported along its longitudinal edges 162A, 162B (see FIG. 12) by twoor more ribs or supports 166 (hereinafter “supports” for the sake ofconvenience without intent to limit) formed in the first and secondshells 107C, 107D and spaced along the length of the printed circuitboard 162. When the first and second shells 107C, 107D are attachedtogether, the printed circuit board 162 may be supported along one ofits longitudinal edges 162A (see FIG. 12) by the first shell 107C andalong the other of its longitudinal edges 162B (see FIG. 12) by thesecond shell 107D, and the supports 166 may capture the longitudinaledges 162A, 162B (see FIG. 12) of the printed circuit board 162 to limitor substantially prevent movement of the printed circuit board 162relative to the housing 107. In some embodiments, the printed circuitboard 162 and/or the supports 166 may be sized such that the printedcircuit board 162 is interference fit into the supports 166 so that theedges 162A, 162B (see FIG. 12) of the printed circuit board 162frictionally engage the supports 166. The supports 166 may form asubstantially rectangular box and may provide alignment of the printedcircuit board 162. Additionally or alternatively, as illustrated in FIG.13, the printed circuit board 162 may be supported along itslongitudinal edges 162A, 162B by the insert 140. For example, as seen inFIG. 13, the receiving grooves 144A, 144B of the insert 140 may be sizedto receive the longitudinal edges 162A, 162B of the printed circuitboard 162 to further support the printed circuit board 162.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5, and 12, the first and second shells 107C and107D may overlap each other along the interface 153 to protect theprinted circuit board 162 from static electricity discharge. Referringto FIG. 4, the first shell 107C and/or the second shell 107D may includea lip 168 extending along the longitudinal length of the housing 107 atthe interface 153. The lip 168 may be formed as a continuous structureor as a series of discontinuous structures formed along the length ofthe both shells 107C, 107D that interdigitate with one another when theshells 107C, 107D are attached together, as described in further detailbelow. The lip 168 may form an extra layer of protection at theinterface 153 of the housing 107 to further protect the printed circuitboard 162 from electrostatic discharge through the interface 153. Thefirst and second shells 107C, 107D may be flexible, and the lip 168 mayhelp with rigidity of the housing 107. For example, as the motor housing107 twists, the sides of the housing 107 may shift, and the lip 168 mayprevent the sides of the housing 107 from shifting with respect to oneanother.

Referring to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of the first end 107A of themotor assembly 102 illustrates the first and second shells 107C, 107Doverlapping each other at the interface 153. In the illustrativeembodiment of FIG. 5, the first shell 107C includes a first lip 168Athat overlaps the second shell 107D along one of the longitudinalinterfaces 153 of the housing 107, and the second shell 107D includes asecond lip 168B that overlaps the first shell 107C along the other ofthe longitudinal interfaces 153 of the housing 107. The first shell 107Cor the second shell 107D may include both lips 168A, 168B in someembodiments, or, as previously discussed, the lips 168A, 168B may bediscontinuous such that the lips alternate on the shells 107C, 107Dalong the length of a respective longitudinal interface 153.

The first shell 107C and/or the second shell 107D may be coupledtogether in various manners. For example, in one embodiment, illustratedin FIG. 4, screw boss features 172A, 172B may be formed in the firstshell 107C and/or the second shell 107D to receive fasteners, such asthe illustrated screws 174 or other fasteners, to secure the shells107C, 107D together. To shield or insulate the printed circuit board 162from static electricity, the shells 107C, 107D may overlap one anotheralong the interface 153 between the respective screw boss features 172A,172B to provide a static electricity barrier. In the illustrativeembodiment of FIG. 4, the screw boss features 172 may include screwbosses 172A and pockets 172B for receiving a leading end portion of thescrew bosses 172A. The screw bosses 172A may be received in the pockets172B when the first and second shells 107C, 107D are attached together.As shown in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 12, respective rims 176may at least partially define the respective pockets 172B and may atleast partially surround the leading end portions of the respectivescrew bosses 172A when the first and second shells 107C, 107D areattached together. The rims 176 may overlap the screw bosses 172A toprotect the printed circuit board 162 from static electricity dischargethrough the interface 153 between the screw bosses 172A and pockets172B. Referring still to FIG. 12, the printed circuit board 162 may beoriented substantially perpendicular to the interface 153 along abisecting plane of the first and second shells 107C, 107D to space theprinted circuit board 162 from the interface 153 along both longitudinaledges of the shells 107C, 107D to reduce the risk of a staticelectricity arching from a fastener, through a respective interface 153,and to the printed circuit board 162. In some embodiments, a sleeve madeof a flexible heat-shrink plastic material may be shrunk around thehousing 107 to further provide a static electricity barrier.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 11, the printed circuit board 162 may includeall or substantially all of the circuitry for operation of the motor152. For example, the printed circuit board 162 may include motorcontrol circuitry for controlling operation of the motor 152 and radiocircuitry for receiving and/or transmitting signals related to operationof the motor 152. In some embodiments, encoder and radio circuitry arecombined into a single circuit board, such as the printed circuit board162, that is sized to fit in the housing 107. By including all orsubstantially all of the circuitry for operation of the motor 152 withinthe housing 107 and the internal bore 164 of the end cap 104, the motorassembly 102 may be attached to the end cap 104 with little or noelectrical components positioned around the boss 114 of the end cap 104adjacent an inner face 104A of the end cap 104. For example, the motorassembly 102 may eliminate a cartridge for a printed circuit boardlocated outside the housing 107 and along the end cap 104 (as found insome existing motor assemblies), where the cartridge would contribute toa light gap Eliminating the cartridge may reduce the amount of plasticand may reduce the part count by about thirty percent, resulting in acost reduction. As an example of a part reduction, the screw thatattaches prior cartridges to an end cap may be eliminated. Thecomponents of the printed circuit board 162 may be positioned on theboard in a space-saving efficient manner which may eliminate the needfor a different board depending on whether the motor assembly 102 isattached to a right or left end cap. In other words, in some embodimentsthe same printed circuit board 162 may be used regardless of theorientation of the motor assembly 102 within the head rail 110. Theprinted circuit board 162 may include a motor module including softwarethat is generic to various types of coverings, rather thanproduct-specific software.

Referring to FIG. 11, at least a portion of the printed circuit board162 may be readily accessible through the internal bore 164 of the endcap 104 for software programming, reloads, and/or updates withoutdisassembling the covering 100. For example, as seen in FIG. 11, theprinted circuit board 162 may include a port 179, such as aninput/output port, that is easily accessible through the internal bore164 of the end cap 104 and may be used for software reloads and/orupdates. To access the port 179, the end cap 104 may be removed from amounting bracket (not shown) with the covering fully assembled, and atool (such as a portable electronic device) containing the reload and/orupdate software may be connected to the port 179 to reload and/or updatethe software for the motor assembly 102. After reloading and/or updatingthe software, the tool may be disconnected from the port 179 and the endcap 104 may be coupled to the mounting bracket (not shown). This processmay be completed with the covering 100 in a fully assembledconfiguration.

Referring still to FIG. 11, because of the arrangement of the printedcircuit board 162 within the housing 107 and the end cap 104 (and theconsequent elimination of a separate cartridge typically mounted betweenprior art motor assemblies and end caps to contain the printed circuitboard), the roller tube 108 may extend to a point substantially flushwith an inner face 104A of the end cap 104, and a shade may extend alongthe full length of the roller tube 108 to provide a reduced light gap LGbetween a respective edge of the shade and the structure to which theend cap 104 is attached. The reduced light gap LG may substantiallycorrespond to the thickness of a base wall 178 of the end cap 104defined by the distance between the inner face 104A and an outer face104B of the end cap 104. The base wall 178 may be substantially planarand may be oriented substantially perpendicular to a rotational axis ofthe roller tube 108. The boss 114 may be oriented substantiallyperpendicular to the base wall 178 and may project inwardly from thebase wall 178 toward the motor assembly 102.

Referring to FIG. 1, the roller tube 108 may be rotatably supported bythe end cap 104. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 11, the roller tube 108 may bemounted on a bushing 180, which may be rotatably mounted onto a boss 114of the end cap 104. The bushing 180 may engage an inner surface of theroller tube 108 so that the bushing 180 rotates substantially in unisonwith the roller tube 108 about the boss 114. The bushing 180 may definea substantially cylindrical inner surface that rotatably bears against asubstantially cylindrical outer surface of the boss 114 during rotationof the roller tube 108. In some embodiments, the boss 114 may bemonolithically formed with the end cap 104 as a single, unitarystructure. The opposite end (not shown) of the roller tube 108 may berotatably supported by another end cap in a similar manner. The motorassembly 102 may be attached to either a left or a right end cap of thecovering 100.

With continued reference to FIG. 11, the printed circuit board 162 maybe substantially flush or offset inwardly from the outer face 104B ofthe end cap 104 such that the outer face 104B of the end cap 104 may bemounted flush against a structure defining an architecturalstructure/feature, such as a window frame defining a window opening.Referring to FIGS. 3 and 13, the end cap 104 may define one or morechannels in the base wall 178 that are recessed relative to the outerface 104B of the end cap 104. In the illustrative embodiment of FIGS. 3and 13, the end cap 104 defines a first channel 182A and a secondchannel 182B both recessed relative to the outer face 104B and extendingfrom the internal bore 164. As seen in FIG. 13, a portion of a powercable or cord 184 (hereinafter “cord” for the sake of conveniencewithout intent to limit) providing power to the motor assembly 102 maybe received within the first channel 182A and routed through theinternal bore 164 for connection to the motor assembly 102, such as tothe printed circuit board 162. The power cord 184 may be connected to apower source, such as a battery or an AC voltage source, to providepower to the motor assembly 102. The power cord 184 may extend off theprinted circuit board 162 and be inserted into the first channel 182A. Aportion of an antenna wire 186 for receiving and/or transmitting signalsmay be received within the second channel 182B and routed through theinternal bore 164 for connection to the motor assembly 102, such as tothe printed circuit board 162. A sticker or other securement element(such as a sticker which is commonly provided on a window coveringbearing information relating to the window covering) may be used to holdthe power cord 184 and/or the antenna wire 186 in place. As seen in FIG.13, the power cord 184 and the antenna wire 186 may be routed betweenthe insert 140 and the resilient arms 130. The insert 140 may hold thepower cord 184 and the antenna wire 186 in place.

Referring to FIG. 13, in some embodiments the first channel 182A may besized so that the portion of the power cord 184 received within thefirst channel 182A is substantially flush with or recessed relative tothe outer face 104B of the end cap 104, and the second channel 182B maybe sized so that the portion of the antenna wire 186 received within thesecond channel 182B is substantially flush with or recessed relative tothe outer face 104B of the end cap 104. In this manner, when assembled,the power cord 184 and the antenna wire 186 may be substantially flushwith the outer face 104B to allow flush mounting of the end cap 104 tominimize a light gap between the architectural covering 100 and thestructure to which the end cap 104 is mounted.

With continued reference to FIG. 13, an actuation member 188 formanually controlling the motor 152 may be slidably coupled to the endcap 104. The actuation member 188 may be received within a channel 182C(see FIGS. 3 and 13) formed in the end cap 104 such that the actuationmember 188 may be substantially flush with the outer face 104B of theend cap 104, and the actuation member 188 may be coupled to the end cap104 with one or more tabs 189. The actuation member 188 may selectivelyengage the printed circuit board 162 to actuate the motor assembly 102.As seen in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 13, the actuation member188 may have a length defined between opposing first and second end188A, 188B. The first end 188A of the actuation member 188 may protrudefrom, or be flush with, a bottom surface of the end cap 104, and thesecond end 188B of the actuation member 188 may protrude into theinternal bore 164 of the end cap 104 to engage a switch or button 190(hereinafter “button” for the sake of convenience without intent tolimit) operatively associated with the printed circuit board 162 toselectively control the motor 152 (see FIG. 4). The button 190 may beintegrated into the printed circuit board 162, such as into a bottom ofthe printed circuit board 162, to result in a smaller, tighter, moreefficient overall design. The button 190 may be on a centerline of theprinted circuit board 162 so the board may be used on a left or a rightside of the covering 100. The button 190 may be positioned on theprinted circuit board 162 in-line with the channel 182C (see FIGS. 3 and13) to align the actuation member 188 with the button 190. Thelongitudinal edges 162A, 162B (see FIG. 12) of the printed circuit board162 may be supported by the insert 140 (e.g., received in the receivinggrooves 144A, 144B of the insert 140) so the printed circuit board 162does not flex when the button 190 is pressed by the actuation member188. The insert 140 may include channels 191 (see FIG. 8) extendingalong a length of the insert 140 to guide cords or wires along theinsert 140 and through-passages formed between the resilient arms 130 ofthe housing 107 and the insert 140. The motor housing 107 may be alignedwith the end cap 104 to facilitate the positioning of the printedcircuit board 162, the antenna wire 186, the button 190, and the powercord 184 relative to the end cap 104. The splines 120 and the grooves122 (see FIG. 5) may be configured to facilitate such alignment.

The actuation member 188 may be movable to press the button 190 on theprinted circuit board 162, thereby reducing static electricity dischargeby isolating the button 190 so that a user does not touch the button 190directly. The actuation member 188 may be biased to slide within thechannel 182C away from the printed circuit board 162 due at least inpart to, for example, the weight of the actuation member 188 and/or abias of the button 190. During operation, a user may press the first end188A of the actuation member 188 in a first direction 192 to slide theactuation member 188 longitudinally in the first direction 192 withinthe channel 182C to depress the button 190 and operate the motorassembly 102. The actuation member 188 may be formed as a light pipe totransmit light from a light emitting source, such as a light emittingdiode, associated with the printed circuit board 162 to the first end188A of the actuation member 188 to provide an indication to a user ofthe status of the motor assembly 102.

Referring to FIG. 14, the drive structure 106 of the motor assembly 102may be located at the second end 107B of the housing 107. The drivestructure 106 may improve torque transfer from a drive or output shaft202 of the motor assembly 102 to the roller tube 108 (such as the rollertube 108 illustrated in FIG. 1). For example, the drive structure 106may be configured to eliminate or at least reduce looseness in theconnection between the drive structure 106 and the drive shaft 202, suchas by providing an engagement between the drive structure 106 and thedrive shaft 202 that limits movement of the drive structure 106 relativeto the drive shaft 202. For example, the drive structure 106 may beconfigured to eliminate or reduce looseness in the connection of a drivemember or driver 204 (hereinafter “drive member” for the sake ofconvenience without intent to limit) to the drive shaft 202, therebyimproving the positioning accuracy of the motor 152 (see FIG. 4) and/orreducing or eliminating noise in the drive structure 106 while the motor152 (see FIG. 4) is operated. The drive shaft 202 may be reversiblyrotatable by the motor 152 (see FIG. 4) and may project from the distalend of the housing 107, and the drive structure 106 may be operativelyconnected to the drive shaft 202 and the roller tube 108 to rotate theroller tube 108 (see FIG. 1) and extend or retract a shade attached tothe roller tube 108 depending on a rotation direction of the drive shaft202. The drive shaft 202 may include one or more flats 202A, 202B (seeFIG. 16) or other engagement features for facilitating a secureconnection of the drive structure 106 to the drive shaft 202. The drivestructure 106 may maintain axial alignment of the drive member 204 withthe motor 152 (see FIG. 4), such as be limiting axial movement of thedrive member 204 away from the motor 152, as explained below. In someembodiments, the drive structure 106 may maintain the drive shaft 202 inconcentric alignment with the drive member 204, such as via structureconcentrically coupling the drive member 204 to the drive shaft 202, asdescribed in further detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, the drive structure 106 may include awedge 206 for engaging the drive shaft 202 (see FIG. 14). The wedge 206may be axially aligned with a rotation axis of the drive shaft 202 andmay include a first end 206A for engaging the drive shaft 202 and asecond end 206B spaced a distance from the first end 206A to define alength of the wedge 206. The first end 206A of the wedge 206 may includetwo or more resilient arms 208A, 208B spaced apart from each other by agap 210 extending from the first end 206A toward the second end 206B ofthe wedge 206. In a nominal state, the lateral dimension of the gap 210defined by the distance between the resilient arms 208A, 208B may beoversized relative to the corresponding thickness of the drive shaft 202(see FIG. 14). The wedge 206 may taper outwardly from the second end206B toward the first end 206A such that the outer dimension of thewedge 206 generally increases from the second end 206B to the first end206A. In some embodiments, the wedge 206 has a conical shape that tapersoutwardly from the second end 206B toward the first end 206A.

With continued reference to FIGS. 15 and 16, the drive structure 106 mayinclude a housing 214 for receiving at least the first end 206A of thewedge 206. The housing 214 may be axially aligned with the wedge 206 andmay include a first end 214A that may at least partially surround thedrive shaft 202 and a second end 214B spaced a distance from the firstend 214A to define a length of the housing 214. The housing 214 mayinclude an inner surface 216 defining an inner bore for receiving thewedge 206. The inner surface 216 may taper inwardly from the second end214B toward the first end 214A of the housing 214 such that the innerdimension of the housing 214 generally decreases from the second end214B to the first end 214A of the housing 214. In some embodiments, theinner surface 216 has a conical shape that tapers inwardly from thesecond end 214B toward the first end 214A. To assemble the wedge 206 andthe housing 214, the first end 206A of the wedge 206 may be insertedinto the second end 214B of the housing 214 and the second end 206B ofthe wedge 206 may be driven towards the first end 214A of the housing214. During assembly, the inner surface 216 of the housing 214 mayengage the resilient arms 208A, 208B of the wedge 206 and force theresilient arms 208A, 208B inwardly toward each other to clamp onto thedrive shaft 202.

The inner surface 216 of the housing 214 and the gap 210 between theresilient arms 208A, 208B may be dimensioned such that the drive shaft202 is received in the gap 210 and then the inner surface 216 of thehousing 214 clamps the resilient arms 208A, 208B onto the drive shaft202 as the second end 206B of the wedge 206 is driven towards the firstend 214A of the housing 214. When the wedge 206 is sufficiently insertedinto the housing 214, the annular friction between the wedge 206 and thehousing 214 may lock the wedge 206 in place, thus maintaining theclamping force of the resilient arms 208A, 208B on the drive shaft 202to lock the drive structure 106 to the drive shaft 202. To maintainalignment of the gap 210 of the wedge 206 with the one or more flats202A, 202B (see FIG. 14) of the drive shaft 202, the wedge 206 and thehousing 214 may be keyed to each other such that the wedge 206 isslidable, but not rotatable, relative to the housing 214. For example,the housing 214 may include an interior rib and the wedge 206 mayinclude a mating groove, or the wedge 206 may include an exterior riband the housing 214 may include a mating groove.

Referring still to FIGS. 15 and 16, the drive structure 106 may includea set screw 220 for facilitating insertion of the wedge 206 into thehousing 214 to create a desired clamping force on the drive shaft 202.The set screw 220 may be axially aligned with the wedge 206 and mayinclude a first end 220A and a second end 220B spaced a distance fromthe first end 220A to define a length of the set screw 220. The firstend 220A of the set screw 220 may abut against the second end 206B ofthe wedge 206 to drive the wedge 206 into the housing 214 and clamp theresilient arms 208A, 208B onto the drive shaft 202. The first end 220Aof the set screw 220 and the second end 206B of the wedge 206 mayinclude corresponding alignment features, such as corresponding conicalsurfaces, for facilitating axial alignment of the set screw 220 and thewedge 206. The second end 220B of the set screw 220 may include anengagement feature 222, such as an internal hexagonal receptacle, forengagement by a tool, such as a hex key, for use by a user to rotate theset screw 220. The set screw 220 may be threadably coupled to the drivemember 204 of the drive structure 106 such that rotation of the setscrew 220 relative to the drive member 204 moves the set screw 220 in anaxial direction. In this manner, a user may rotate the set screw 220 tomove the set screw 220 towards or away from the wedge 206 depending onthe rotation direction of the set screw 220. It will be appreciated thatan axially positioned set screw 220 facilitates maintenance ofconcentric positioning of the drive shaft 202 and the drive member 204.

With reference to FIG. 15, the drive structure 106 may include a drivehub adapter 230. The drive member 204 may be mounted on the drive hubadapter 230 and may engage the roller tube 108, and thus may be productspecific dependent on the particular roller tube used in the covering.The drive hub adapter 230 may provide a common interface to thedifferent drive members, such as the drive member 204, and may at leastpartially receive the wedge 206, the housing 214, and the set screw 220.The housing 214 may be non-rotatably and non-slidably secured to thedrive hub adapter 230. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 15, thesecond end 214B of the housing 214 may include ridges 232 and/or otherengagement features for securing the housing 214 to the drive hubadapter 230. As seen in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 16, thefirst end 214A of the housing 214 may be cantilevered from the drive hubadapter 230 to extend within the housing 107 of the motor assembly 102for coupling with the drive shaft 202. With continued reference to FIG.16, the wedge 206 and the set screw 220 may be movable in an axialdirection relative to the drive hub adapter 230.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, the drive structure 106 may include aninternally threaded element, such as the illustrated lock nut 240, forthreaded engagement with the set screw 220 to facilitate axial movementof the set screw 220. The lock nut 240 may be received within the drivehub adapter 230 and may be restrained from rotating and moving in anaxial direction relative to the drive hub adapter 230. To restrictrotational movement of the lock nut 240, the drive hub adapter 230 mayinclude an inner surface 242 that engages one or more flats 243 of thelock nut 240, for example. To restrain axial movement of the lock nut240, the drive hub adapter 230 may define a pair of opposing shoulders244A, 244B that confront opposing ends 240A, 240B of the lock nut 240.The set screw 220 may be threaded into the lock nut 240, and rotation ofthe set screw 220 relative to the lock nut 240 may cause the set screw220 to move in an axial direction relative to the lock nut 240 to drivethe wedge 206 into the housing 214. The lock nut 240 may provide anannular frictional force on the set screw 220 to resist rotation of theset screw 220 relative to the lock nut 240, thus resisting axialmovement of the set screw 220 to help maintain the wedge 206 in adesired position within the housing 214 once a desired clamping force onthe drive shaft 202 is achieved. In some embodiments, the drive hubadapter 230 may be internally threaded and the set screw 220 may beenlarged relative to the wedge 206 such that the set screw 220 is indirect threaded engagement with the drive hub adapter 230, and thus thelock nut 240 may be omitted in at least these embodiments. The drive hubadapter 230 may include two or more pieces 230A, 230B that may beconstrained together around the wedge 206, the housing 214, the setscrew 220, and the lock nut 240 with two or more fasteners, such as theillustrated rings 234A, 234B, which may be formed as push nuts.

Referring to FIG. 16, the set screw 220 may be used to adjust theclamping force on the drive shaft 202 of the motor assembly 102. Forexample, rotation of the set screw 220 in a first direction may move theset screw 220 toward the first end 214A of the housing 214, therebydriving the wedge 206 further into the housing 214 and causing theresilient arms 208A, 208B to move toward each other to increase theclamping force on the drive shaft 202. The set screw 220 may provide amechanical advantage, and thus a small amount of rotational torque maybe applied to the set screw 220 to drive the wedge 206 into the housing214 and create a locked connection between the drive structure 106 andthe drive shaft 202. Rotation of the set screw 220 in a second directionopposite the first direction may move the set screw 220 away from thefirst end 214A of the housing 214, thereby allowing the wedge 206 tomove toward the second end 214B of the housing 214, resulting in theresilient arms 208A, 208B moving away from each other to decrease theclamping force on the drive shaft 202. The drive structure 106 may bereleased from the drive shaft 202 by backing off the set screw 220 andapplying an axial force to the drive structure 106 toward the driveshaft 202 to move the wedge 206 away from the first end 214A of thehousing 214, thereby releasing the wedge 206 from the drive shaft 202and the housing 214. Additionally or alternatively, the resilient arms208A, 208B may provide a biasing force that moves the wedge 206 towardthe second end 214B of the housing 214 and maintains the second end 206Bof the wedge 206 in engagement with the first end 220A of the set screw220.

An illustrative example of the covering 100 including the coveringmaterial 302 is shown in FIG. 17. The covering material 302, which maybe referred to as a shade, a shade member, or a shade element, may havea width substantially equal to the length of the roller tube 108 (seeFIGS. 1 and 11), which may reduce or eliminate the existence of a lightgap between the edges of the covering material 302 and the sides of thearchitectural structure/feature. The covering material 302 may besuspended from the roller tube 108 and may be retracted and extended byrotation of the roller tube 108. For example, to extend the coveringmaterial 302, the roller tube 108 may be rotated by the motor assembly102 in a first rotational direction to unwrap the covering material 302from the roller tube 108. To retract the covering material 302, theroller tube 108 may be rotated in a second rotational direction oppositethe first rotational direction to wrap the covering material 302 aboutthe roller tube 108. In some embodiments, the roller tube 108 may beoperable to retract the covering material 302 towards the head rail 110in a stacked configuration. A bottom rail 304 may extend along a loweredge of the covering material 302 and may function as a ballast tomaintain the covering material 302 in a taut condition.

The motor assembly 102 may be configured to extend or retract thecovering material 302 upon receiving an extension or retraction command.The motor assembly 102 may be controlled by the actuation member 188(see FIG. 13). To raise or retract the covering material 302 from anextended position using the actuation member 188, a user may manipulatethe actuation member 188 in a first manner (e.g., pressing the actuationmember 188 once). To extend or lower the covering material 302 from aretracted position using the actuation member 188, a user may manipulatethe actuation component in a second manner (e.g., pressing the actuationmember 188 twice or pressing the actuation member 188 for a certainperiod of time). The motor assembly 102 may be electrically coupled tothe switch or button 190 and/or a sensor that is operable to communicatewith a transmitter, such as a remote control unit 306. Extension and/orretraction commands may be transmitted to the motor assembly 102 by theremote control unit 306 for controlling the motor 152 to extend and/orretract the covering material 302. The illustrated covering material 302includes a front sheet 310, a rear sheet 312, and multiple transversevanes 314 attached to and connecting the front sheet 310 and the rearsheet 312. Other type of covering materials or elements 302 may be used.

The motor assembly 102 and the end cap 104 may be constructed ofsubstantially any type of material. For example, the end cap 104 and thehousing 107 may be constructed from natural and/or synthetic materials,including metals, ceramics, plastics, and/or other suitable materialsthat insulate against static electricity discharge therethrough. Plasticmaterials may include thermoplastic material (self-reinforced orfiber-reinforced), ABS, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polystyrene, PVC,polyamide, or PTFE, among others. The end cap 104 and the housing 107may be formed or molded in any suitable manner, such as by plug molding,blow molding, injection molding, or the like.

The foregoing description has broad application. While the providedexamples describe an example architectural covering, such as anarchitectural covering including a covering material extended orretracted via a roller tube, it should be appreciated that the conceptsdisclosed herein may equally apply to many types of architecturalcoverings, including Venetian blinds and stackable shades or coverings.While the provided examples depict a motor assembly and a printedcircuit board associated with a right end cap, it should be appreciatedthat the concepts disclosed herein may equally apply to the left endcap. Accordingly, the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to beexplanatory and is not intended to suggest that the scope of thedisclosure, including the claims, is limited to these examples. In otherwords, while illustrative embodiments of the disclosure have beendescribed in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventiveconcepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed, and that theappended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations,except as limited by the prior art.

The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description and is not intended to limit the disclosure to the formor forms disclosed herein. For example, various features of thedisclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects, embodiments, orconfigurations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. However,it should be understood that various features of the certain aspects,embodiments, or configurations of the disclosure may be combined inalternate aspects, embodiments, or configurations. Moreover, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Descriptionby this reference, with each claim standing on its own as a separateembodiment of the present disclosure.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or”, as used herein,are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive inoperation.

The term “a” or “an” entity, as used herein, refers to one or more ofthat entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “atleast one” can be used interchangeably herein.

All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower,upward, downward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, front, back, top,bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, radial, axial, clockwise,and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aidthe reader's understanding of the present disclosure, and do not createlimitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use ofthis disclosure. Connection references (e.g., attached, engaged,coupled, connected, and joined) are to be construed broadly and mayinclude intermediate members between a collection of elements andrelative movement between elements unless otherwise indicated. As such,connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements aredirectly connected and in fixed relation to each other. Identificationreferences (e.g., primary, secondary, first, second, third, fourth,etc.) are not intended to connote importance or priority, but are usedto distinguish one feature from another. The drawings are for purposesof illustration only and the dimensions, positions, order and relativesizes reflected in the drawings attached hereto may vary.

What is claimed is:
 1. An architectural covering comprising: an end capincluding a cylindrical boss; a roller tube rotatably supported at leastpartially by said end cap; and a motor assembly including a housing, anend of said housing extending into said boss and engaged with said bossto non-rotatably secure said motor assembly to said end cap, said bossenclosing said end of said housing, said motor assembly received atleast partially within said roller tube and in driving engagement withsaid roller tube.
 2. The covering of claim 1, wherein said motorassembly includes a drive shaft and a drive structure for rotating saidroller tube, said drive structure clamped to said drive shaft as aresult of relative axial movement between said drive structure and saiddrive shaft.
 3. The covering of claim 1, further comprising a head rail,wherein said end cap encloses an end of said head rail and said rollertube is rotatably supported within said head rail.
 4. The covering ofclaim 1, wherein: said housing includes a first spline feature extendinglengthwise along a length of said housing; said boss is axially alignedwith said housing; and said boss includes a second spline featureextending lengthwise along a length of said boss and configured toengage said first spline feature.
 5. The covering of claim 4, whereinsaid housing defines two or more resilient arms that engage an internalwall of said boss to axially secure said motor assembly to said end cap.6. The covering of claim 4, wherein: said first spline feature comprisesone of two or more external splines or two or more internal grooves; andsaid second spline feature comprises the other of said external splinesor said internal grooves.
 7. The covering of claim 6, wherein one ormore splines of said external splines include torque combative featuresto resist rotation of said housing relative to said end cap.
 8. Thecovering of claim 6, wherein one or more splines of said externalsplines and one or more grooves of said internal grooves form a dovetailjoint to maintain engagement of said one or more splines with one ormore grooves of said internal grooves.
 9. The covering of claim 1,wherein said housing of said motor assembly defines an internal cavity,and wherein said motor assembly includes; a motor received within saidinternal cavity; a drive shaft operatively associated with said motor;and a drive structure clamped to said drive shaft as a result ofrelative axial movement between said drive structure and said driveshaft.
 10. The covering of claim 9, wherein said drive structure isclamped to said drive shaft by axial movement of a wedge engaging saiddrive shaft with respect to a tapered surface of a wedge housing thatincreasingly applies inwardly-directed forces to said wedge to causesaid wedge to clamp onto said drive shaft as said wedge and said taperedsurface move axially with respect to each other.
 11. The covering ofclaim 9, wherein said drive structure comprises a drive memberpositioned external of said housing.
 12. The covering of claim 9,wherein said drive structure comprises a wedge axially aligned with saiddrive shaft, said wedge including two or more resilient arms that clamponto said drive shaft.
 13. The covering of claim 12, wherein: said driveshaft includes two or more flat surfaces; and said resilient arms clamponto said flat surfaces.
 14. The covering of claim 12, wherein: saiddrive structure further comprises a drive member positioned external ofsaid housing and a wedge housing attached to said drive member; and saidwedge housing extends through an opening formed in an axial end of saidhousing and at least partially surrounds said drive shaft.
 15. Thecovering of claim 14, wherein said drive structure further comprises aset screw axially aligned with said wedge for engaging an end of saidwedge to force said wedge into said housing and clamp onto said driveshaft.
 16. The covering of claim 14, wherein said wedge housing includesan inner surface that engages said resilient arms and forces saidresilient arms toward each other to clamp onto said drive shaft.
 17. Thecovering of claim 15, wherein: said wedge housing is axially alignedwith said wedge; and said inner surface of said wedge housing tapersinwardly towards said drive shaft to force said resilient arms towardeach other to clamp onto said drive shaft.
 18. The covering of claim 1,wherein said housing includes a first shell and a second shell coupledtogether to define an internal cavity, and wherein said motor assemblyincludes: a motor received within said internal cavity; a drive shaftoperatively associated with said motor; and a drive structure removablycoupled to said drive shaft, wherein said drive structure may beinterchanged with a different drive structure without separating saidfirst and second shells.
 19. The covering of claim 18, wherein saiddrive structure is coupled to said drive shaft as a result of relativeaxial movement between said drive structure and said drive shaft.
 20. Anarchitectural covering comprising: an end cap including a boss; a rollertube rotatably supported at least partially by said end cap; a motorassembly including a housing defining two or more resilient arms thatengage an internal wall of said boss to axially secure said motorassembly to said end cap, said motor assembly received at leastpartially within said roller tube and in driving engagement with saidroller tube; and an insert including two or more resilient arms thatengage said internal wall of said boss to lock said two or moreresilient arms of said housing into engagement with said internal wall.21. The covering of claim 20, wherein said two or more resilient arms ofsaid insert extend in an opposite direction relative to, andinterdigitate with, said two or more resilient arms of said housing. 22.The covering of claim 20, wherein: said motor assembly includes a motorreceived at least partially in said housing, and a printed circuit boardreceived at least partially in said housing; and said printed circuitboard is supported by said housing and said insert.
 23. The covering ofclaim 20, wherein an end of said housing including said two or moreresilient arms extends into said boss such that said boss encloses saidend of said housing.
 24. The covering of claim 20, wherein said boss iscylindrical.
 25. A method of assembling an architectural covering, saidmethod comprising: positioning a motor within a housing, wherein themotor and the housing form a motor assembly; aligning an end of thehousing with a cylindrical boss of an end cap; and inserting the end ofthe housing into the boss and into engagement within the boss of the endcap to non-rotatably secure the motor assembly to the end cap, the bossenclosing the end of the housing when the end of the housing is insertedinto the boss, wherein a roller tube is rotatably supported at leastpartially by the end cap, and wherein the motor assembly is received atleast partially within the roller tube and in driving engagement withthe roller tube.
 26. The method of claim 25, further comprising clampinga drive structure to a drive shaft of the motor by an axial movement ofthe drive structure.
 27. The method of claim 25, further comprisingpositioning a printed circuit board within an internal cavity defined bythe housing and in axial alignment with the motor.
 28. The method ofclaim 25, wherein inserting the end of the housing into engagement withthe boss of the end cap comprises inserting the end of the housing intoengagement with the boss of the end cap until the end of the housinglatchingly engages an internal wall of the boss of the end cap.
 29. Themethod of claim 28, further comprising inserting an insert into the bossof the end cap from an opposite side of the end cap relative to the endof the housing.
 30. The method of claim 29, further comprising engagingthe insert with the internal wall to lock the end of the housing inengagement with the boss.
 31. An architectural covering comprising: anend cap; a roller tube rotatably supported at least partially by saidend cap; and a motor assembly coupled to said end cap and including adrive shaft and a drive structure for rotating said roller tube, saiddrive structure clamped to said drive shaft by an axial movement of awedge of said drive structure, said drive structure including a setscrew, wherein movement of said set screw against an axial end of saidwedge causes axial movement of said wedge.
 32. The covering of claim 31,wherein said drive structure is clamped to said drive shaft by axialmovement of said wedge engaging said drive shaft with respect to atapered surface of a housing which increasingly appliesinwardly-directed forces to said wedge to cause said wedge to clamp ontosaid drive shaft as said wedge and said tapered surface move axiallywith respect to each other.
 33. The covering of claim 31, furthercomprising a head rail, wherein said end cap encloses an end of saidhead rail and said roller tube is rotatably supported within said headrail.
 34. The covering of claim 31, wherein said set screw is axiallyaligned with said wedge.
 35. An architectural covering comprising: anend cap; a roller tube rotatably supported at least partially by saidend cap; and a motor assembly coupled to said end cap and including adrive shaft and a drive structure for rotating said roller tube, saiddrive structure clamped to said drive shaft by an axial movement of saiddrive structure, said drive structure comprises a wedge axially alignedwith said drive shaft, said wedge including two or more resilient armsthat clamp onto said drive shaft.
 36. The covering of claim 35, wherein:said drive shaft includes two or more flat surfaces; and said resilientarms clamp onto said flat surfaces.
 37. The covering of claim 35,wherein: said drive structure further comprises a housing that at leastpartially surrounds said wedge; and said housing includes an innersurface that engages said resilient arms and forces said resilient armstoward each other to clamp onto said drive shaft.
 38. The covering ofclaim 37, wherein said housing is axially aligned with said wedge. 39.The covering of claim 37, wherein said inner surface of said housingtapers inwardly towards said drive shaft.
 40. The covering of claim 37,wherein said drive structure further comprises a set screw axiallyaligned with said wedge for driving said wedge into said housing. 41.The covering of claim 40, wherein said set screw engages an end of saidwedge.
 42. The covering of claim 41, wherein said end of said wedgeincludes an alignment feature for axially aligning said set screw andsaid wedge.
 43. A method of attaching a drive structure to a motor of amotor assembly of an architectural covering, the architectural coveringfurther including an end cap and a roller tube, said method comprising:aligning two or more resilient arms of a wedge with a drive shaftoperatively associated with the motor; inserting the wedge into ahousing until the two or more resilient arms overlap the drive shaft;and further inserting the wedge, by movement of a set screw against anaxial end of the wedge, axially into the housing to clamp the two ormore resilient arms onto the drive shaft, wherein the roller tube isrotatably supported at least partially by the end cap, and wherein thedrive shaft and the drive structure are to rotate the roller tube. 44.The method of claim 43, further comprising securing the wedge in thehousing with friction formed between an inner surface of the housing andan outer surface of the wedge.